The Strength to Protect
by Eyeshield
Summary: Alisa has finished her training with her Leader, and Asbel decides to celebrate with a few gifts. ToG/GEB crossover one-shot, after training arc.


_Hey folks. How've you all been?_

_It's been a year since I published everything. Why is that? Well… I couldn't feel it. My muse dropped dead. Partially._

_The other problem? I thought of ways to make Chronicles better! So much so! But then I realized that I wanted a rewrite again. I was… scared to be honest, of what you'd all say when I said that. And now all I did was push it back and make the wait all the more painful._

_I type this before I take my exams. I'm about to finish high school, and I knew I had to grab what I could. So many good fic ideas popped up in my head. Megaman Starforce and Nanoha, F/SN and Transformers, "Tales Of" and Fallout you have no idea._

_I'm sorry to all the readers who asked me if I was continuing Chronicles. I might… In a different form._

_So… an apology I guess…_

… _ANYWAY! This is a One-shot that's sort of a sneak peek to a continuation to "Tales of God eaters", that Tales of Graces/ God Eater crossover. It's no longer in first-person and my writing and grammar were painful back then, but now I know better… I think. Really, Asbel/Alisa was the couple that inspired me to start that fic in the first place. Look at how Asbel fits the protagonist's role, how similar they are! _

_But sadly, I'll always have him loyal to Cheria. He's not a dick… On purpose (Oblivious retard). He promised to wait for her at the end, and as much as I love Albel, Cheribel is canon._

_Thank you for everything guys. _

_And hey, everyone over at NISA forums! More power to you, guys. Zdood and especially Porecomesis/Some Random Tosser, thanks guys._

_ON WITH THE SHOW!_

The two of them stood in the sunset, marveling at the sight they just witnessed, at the power they could unleash together. They were bruised, bloodied, and tired.

But they were victorious.

"That was just… wow. That was amazing…" Asbel said, looking down at his God Arc, remembering the incredible feeling that was the Link-Burst.

"I know. I'd heard the Link Burst was powerful, but I never thought… No wonder they're searching for more New-Types!" Alisa agreed, her mind still unbelieving.

Asbel walked up to his student, smiling joyfully. "You did great today Alisa! Even before you used the bullet, you had an incredible balance of offense and support out there. It's still a little rough, but you're definitely ready to return to active duty!" He placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her. "I'm proud of you. Good job!"

Alisa blushed at the praise and his touch, feeling incredibly warm. "Th-thank you, Asbel. It was all thanks to your training. And the fact that you believed in me…" she said, embarrassed into softness.

"A good teacher can help, but you gave it your all," he said, shaking his head. "What you had in you mattered the most."

They devoured the cores, promising to split up the materials later. Alisa headed back towards the base, but Asbel turned towards the edge of the bridge, confusing her. "Asbel, what are you doing?"

"Well, we're tired, and you just had three straight days of hard work," he said, jumping onto the rails. He takes out two cans from his pockets. "I'd say a little celebration is in order! Consider this your graduation gift Alisa: Drinking juice in the beautiful sunset. What could be better?"

Alisa stared dumbfoundedly at her Leader for a moment. She blushed at the romantic scene in front of her: Just her and Asbel, alone in the sunset…

"Um… Alisa? Is anything wrong?"

Her blush intensified at being called out by Asbel. _Wh-where did that come from?!_ She shook off her confused thoughts. "Th-that would be nice! I'd love to!"

Being the oblivious dolt he always was, Asbel failed to notice her faux pas. "Well then, come up! The view's beautiful!"

Alisa jumped up the railings and sat beside her master, her heart beating wildly. She accepted the can from him and decided to focus more on the label so as not to be noticed (not that he ever would…). "What… is this? Curry-flavored juice?"

"It's awesome!" Her Leader said gleefully. "When I heard there were low supplies and that I'd never have curry here, I thought I'd lose it! But then I see this… Curry. Flavored. Juice! Whoever thought this thing up is a genius! Go on and try it!"

Alisa, even more dumbfounded by how her Leader could be so childish yet so powerful, gave in. She popped open the can and took a drink. The odd flavor was unfamiliar to her as a resident of Russia, but she couldn't deny that it tasted good. "Well… I guess it isn't too bad. I'd heard they only made curry in Asia, so I've never had this before. I can see why you like it."

"I knew you'd like it," Asbel said, grinning in a way that made Alisa redden. "Nobody can resist curry." He then popped open his own can and held it out in front of him. "Cheers to you Alisa: Glad to have you back."

Alisa's face reddened up even more, but she couldn't help but return his proud smile. "Th-thank you Asbel... It's glad to be back."

And so the two New-Types sat there, drinking in the sunset, basking in the twilight glow and the pride in their victory. It was a comfortable silence, and Alisa couldn't help but gaze at her companion. The suns fading rays seemed to highlight the content expression on his face.

The sight made her heart race and made her speechless in admiration. All thoughts were erased from her mind as she watched him simply be content.

"You know," the knight said, shocking his partner out of her reverie and straightening her up, "moments like this, where you just see the world for what it is… they really remind you of what we're fighting for, huh?"

"What we're fighting for?" His student said, confused.

"For people to have moments like these," he continued, still not looking at her. "So people can just be at peace. So we can all have the chance to just sit together with our friends and see the world for how beautiful it is."

Alisa reflected on her Leader's words, quietly taking them in. Even though he was so young, Asbel was a rarity… He was barely older than her, yet he had so much experience, a sort of strength that she couldn't feel from anyone else her age. Not even from any other God Eater she'd met.

She wondered about that since she woke up and he agreed to train him. She wondered about the time he lost those precious to him, the day that set him on his current path.

"Asbel…" she asked softly, making him tilt his head towards her. "When I woke up, I asked if you felt the same pain as I did before, the same loss. You said that you did." He remained quiet at her words, but his expression suggested that he knew her question. "If it's not too much… Can you tell me about it? It's OK if you don't. I don't mind. It must have been painful."

Asbel remained quiet. He closed his eyes and looked down, as though pondering his next action. Alisa became afraid, wondering if she offended him somehow. When he looked up again, she had an unexpected answer. "Before you woke up, I held your hand and saw your day. It was a memory that scarred you forever, and I barged in and looked at it without you knowing," he said solemnly. "It would be unfair if I didn't do the same." He sighed and slowly grinned at her. "I was planning on this from the beginning, Alisa. After everything you saw over the past few days, you deserve to know this. But just promise me no one else will know. Consider it graduation gift number two."

Alisa nodded at his answer and mentally crossed her heart. "I promise."

"I knew you would." He held out his hand, confusing her. "What? I saw it. It's only fair if you did."

Alisa blushed again at the thought of holding his hand. "A-are you sure?"

"You'll know better if you saw it. And… I'll explain a few more things afterwards. Don't you want to see?"

Alisa simply nodded and steeled herself, while wondering why she felt so hot. _It's just holding his hand… Alone… In the sunset… Why is this so hard?!_

The moment she finally gripped it though, such thoughts banished from her mind and the visions began.

She saw a two boys, wearing the most unusual clothing she ever saw in her life. One of them was her Leader, she knew. His red hair couldn't be seen on anyone else. Another was a blond boy wearing a feathered hat.

But then there was the third person: A teenager her age. Long purple hair flowing in the wind, twin tails fluttering behind her. She looked to be a fighter, incredibly powerful.

But the monster in front of them was battering the three children. What was going on? What was happening? What kind of creature was this?

But then she saw the horrible moment: Her own Leader, about to be consumed by the darkness. The purple-haired girl lunged at him, throwing him out of the way...

But then she saw her dissolve into nothingness.

"_SOPHIE! NOOOO!"_

She saw Asbel, her poor Leader, crying at his loss. The rain began to pour, as though the heavens joined him.

And then he saw the sadness he inflicted upon himself: Leaving his own family, his brother given up for adoption, his friends separated from him. All in the name of the strength to protect others.

And then she saw the man in front of her again, his lips downturned in sorrow at the memory.

"A-Asbel… What…"

"I… Have a lot of things to explain."

And so Alisa learned of Asbel, of his origins. His world that was still full of life, how he trained for years and gained mastery of the sword. How he wound up here through means unknown, and decided to join the God Eaters to uphold his vow of protecting others.

"That's amazing… All this time…"

"Yeah. That's how it is."

"It explains so much…" she said, everything clearer in her mind. "Your battle experience… Your powers… Even a while ago, with your Link-Burst… It all makes sense."

"I guess you could say that," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "So that's me. An idiot who lost a friend due to his own stupidity, and grew up trying to be strong. That's why I felt for you when you asked me to train you. I saw a bit of me. How could I say no?"

Alisa became silent at his words and shook her head. "But no… we're not the same Asbel. You're so much better."

"Huh?"

"Look at me," she said bitterly. "When you lost your friend, you tried to get stronger to protect others and help them. I selfishly wanted only vengeance, and look what happened."

"Stop," he said firmly, putting his hands on her shoulders and gazing into her eyes. She lost herself in them. "I didn't know what strength meant back then either. I just wanted the strength to protect others, but never used what I had. We all make mistakes. You just have to learn from them. And you don't have to be alone." He smiled warmly at her, causing her heart to stop. "I'm with you now. Kota, Sakuya, Tsubaki, even Soma… Everyone back at the Den is here for you. It's OK Alisa. Keep moving forward. The past is gone now. The new you knows what you have to do. You're brilliant."

Alisa was struck speechless by her Leader. His kind words, his handsome face and the warmth of his smile, everything about him made her lose go crazy. Yet she didn't mind. She was content the way she was, just basking in his warmth…

"Err… Alisa… Are you OK? Your face is kinda red…"

Once again, Alisa is snapped back to reality by her companion. However, she suddenly notices how close she is to him. How, in the setting sun, their faces are almost close enough to…

"EEEP!" she cries out in shock, almost pushing him away.

"WHOA!" Asbel said, equally surprised at her reaction. "I-I'm sorry! Did I burn your hand with the Resonance? It's been a while, but… What did I do wrong?"

Alisa tries to calm down her raging heart, but the thoughts of her Leader and her anger at his obliviousness only makes things harder. "I-it was nothing! I was just surprised!"

"Oh. Ok." He said, eloquently. _Wow. She's acting just like Cheria,_ he says to himself, failing to grasp the ridiculously obvious implications of that thought.

Oh Asbel.

"A-anyway!" said girl quickly added, "we should be getting back now! It's already late, and they might be worried…"

"I told Hibari we might be going back late today, so that should be fine…" he said to her, trying to calm her down.

And failing.

"Wh-what?!" Alisa shouted, jaw dropping and face reddening. "You actually told her… Oh, you stupid oblivious… Agh!"

"… I'm sorry?" he asked, getting more scared of the girl in front of him than the giant scorpion that tried to stab him in the face with the needle the size of a small house. _Wow. She really IS like Cheria…_

Goddammit Asbel.

"Wh-whatever!" She said hastily. "Let's just get back before it gets too late!"

"Well yeah, I guess we should leave," he said, trying to catch up to her storming off. "Well… That's that. We killed a giant scorpion, had a few drinks in the sunset and nice little talk. It was fun, wasn't it?"

Alisa turned back to him briefly. Catching his smile made her redden again. "I-I suppose…"

She looked back to today. It was a dangerous, stressful day, but she could honestly say she enjoyed it.

She was a new person now. Somebody who could protect others, and somebody who had others to protect.

All thanks to the person who suffered the same as her, and thus tried to save her.

She mustered up all her strength, more even than she did with the fight a while ago, to turn back to her Leader.

"Asbel?"

"Hn?"

She took a deep breath and tried her best to say what she wanted to say. "I… would like to do this again… If you don't mind?"

Asbel shot her a confused look, making her heart drop. But then he grinned at her, making her heart race again. "I would love to."

At his reply, she paused for a moment and her face reddened again.

But the smile she wore afterwards was the warmest she wore, outshining the twilight sun.

_Thank you Asbel… I promise that now, I'll join you. I'll protect everyone… And I'll protect you._


End file.
